With the holiday season coming to an end, Ramapo’s 2025 Holiday Festival was an extreme success! This year’s National Honors Society (NHS) had a great deal to take on to manage this event, and they held it with determination to make the day as great as possible not only for the other students participating, but for the students of Roberto Clemente.
As these students entered the school, countless decorations surrounded them with specific “locations” being around the school, such as “Candyland” and “Snowflake Lake.” The Decoration Committee spent countless hours attempting to make the school appear as a Winter Wonderland, and there is no doubt that they were able to accomplish it!
Although, it was not just the decorations that got the kids excited. Numerous characters appeared in the play that started the event (such as Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch), and later traveled around the school giving the kids a taste of the holiday spirit. Whether it was a Disney Princess, a gingerbread man, or the Cookie Monster, the Roberto Clemente students continued to express their excitement.
It is undeniable that most of, if not all of the credit goes to the President and the Secretary of the 2025 NHS committee – Lucy Balaam and Ava Armando. With no prior experience running such an event, there was a great deal of pressure on their shoulders as they continued to put in countless work each and every day in order to make this day as great as it could be. “I don’t think I could count up the hours of prep, meetings, decorating, and emailing I spent these past few months but it was all completely worth it,” says Lucy, President of NHS. “I also really look forward to giving next years’ executives the foundation we created to build off of, and I hope each year going forward it gets better and better. It’s truly a magical opportunity!” Ava similarly felt the satisfying reward of all their hard work : “The moment the kids stepped off the buses, hugging the characters and waving to everyone, all the hard work paid off. I was especially touched when one boy told me it was his second time at Ramapo – this event is clearly something the kids look forward to.”
In the upcoming years as more students continue to contribute to this amazing day whether it be for decorations, characters, a member of a committee, or even one of the leading positions of NHS, we know that Ramapo is and will continue to be capable of doing amazing things. However, looking back on 2025’s event, we can give a tremendous thank you to the escorts, NHS members, Lucy and Ava, and Ms. Eichenlaub for such a magical event!
